Written by Bob Larbey and John Esmonde, The Good Life (retitled to Good Neighbors in America) follows Tom (Richard Briers) and Barbara Good (Felicity Kendal), a suburban upper-middle class couple, when on Tom's 40th birthday he decides to quit his job, leave society behind, and live "the good life" of self-sufficiency. The show follows the trials and mistakes of the two as they start a farm in their backyard, acquire animals, and of course deal with their good friends but always pesky neighbors Margo and Jerry Leadbetter. Continuously lighthearted and cheery, the show is quite the pleasure to watch, never really taking itself too seriously, and while having a good time making some commentary on modern (at the time) living and societal expectations. Only 4 short seasons the series gets a bit dull towards the middle / end with episodes become a sort of rinse-and-repeat dilemma of the week style sitcom and unfortunately never really builds on or grows either of the characters. All said I'd highly recommend the series finale, the Queen herself makes an appearance and they do a whole deep dive on the production of a studio television sitcom, worth its watch on its own for any interested in the medium. As for the show on a whole, early on Tom and Barbara are peak relationship goals, however as the show goes on Tom is unfortunately definitely not the best husband at points but Felicity Kendal is an absolute joy as Barbara through and through. Not all the jokes and lines age well, but as a whole was pleasantly enjoyable and a treat to flip on. Would recommend.
Review of The Good Life
